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The prosecution requested Thursday, November 21, three months in prison suspended sentence against the first police tried in Paris for throwing a pavement during a demonstration Vests yellow.
The 44-year-old, 20 of whom were in the police, was reported by the CRS as "willful violence by a person in authority" for throwing a pavement at protesters during a mobilization in Paris on May 1st. While the Yellow Vest crisis has been marked by repeated clashes between protesters and police, he is the first police officer to be tried. The prosecution has ordered against him three months of suspended sentence.
"Outdated limits"
" I'm not trying to make an example, it's not the police trial ," said the prosecutor. But according to her, this throw of pavement was neither an " absolute necessity " - in particular because other agents with shields separated the police officer from the demonstrators, she pointed - nor " strictly proportioned ". " Even though there is apparently no casualties, the defendant could not ignore that he could cause serious injuries ," she insisted. And to conclude: " the legal limits of legitimate violence have been exceeded ".
Shortly before, face closed, sometimes moved, the brigadier had recognized his gesture, but said he did not want to hurt anyone and took care to aim at an open area. It was a reaction " of fear, absolutely no anger, " he said, " a reflex of defense to be able to fall back with a wounded colleague ."
He also spoke of the context: " guerrilla scenes " that had confronted his company for hours, and especially the trauma of having seen, a few minutes before the facts, his superior severely hit in the head by a stone. Present at the hearing, he highlighted the violence of some protesters, but also the impeccable service of his colleague, twice decorated. The CRS lawyer admitted that his client's gesture was not " adapted ", but he pleaded the acquittal, arguing in particular that in the absence of intention to wound and victim, the qualification of voluntary violence could not apply. The judgment will be communicated on December 19th.
212 investigations
Since the start of the Yellow Vests movement, which began on 17 November 2018 in response to measures deemed too heavy for motorists, the demonstrators have been denouncing police violence and the use of grenades and defense ball launchers (LBD) by law enforcement. These last point in return the violence of radicalized elements. In total, according to the authorities, about 2,500 demonstrators and 1,800 law enforcement personnel have been injured since the beginning of the movement.
The Inspectorate General of the National Police (IGPN), whose impartiality is regularly called into question by the Yellow Vests and sometimes by the press, has been seized of at least 212 investigations into alleged police violence, according to the prosecutor's office. In nearly 70% of cases, his investigations were completed and the conclusions forwarded to the Paris prosecutor's office to decide on the outcome of the proceedings. The most serious cases gave rise to judicial information given to investigating judges.
In total, 372 procedures were registered in France after complaints against law enforcement officers, according to a count of the Ministry of Justice sent to Agence France-Presse. Of these, 109 were dismissed.